Alpinestars Tech-Air Off-Road review | Next level off-road protection

The Alpinestars Tech-Air Off-Road is an all new armoured jacket featuring advanced airbag technology and switchable modes for Street, Enduro and Rally riding.

Airbags for racing and road use are nothing new; Alpinestars began the process of developing them over 20 years ago. First used in anger back in 2009 in MotoGP the technology, materials and effectiveness has evolved dramatically with Alpinestars now offering a range of options to suit everyone from a scooter rider through to MotoGP winner.

Alpinestars have a top down approach to research and development meaning that the initial process started with the pinnacle of motorsport – MotoGP. The project was born in 2001 with data logging starting two years later with heavy, sensor ladened race leathers before Dani Pedrosa rode with the first fully equipped airbag leathers onboard his Repsol Honda 15 years ago.

It took a further three years of refinement for them to come common place in the MotoGP paddock with airbags becoming mandatory in 2018 in not only MotoGP but Moto2 and Moto3 as well.

This led to adaption for road use with the Tech Air Street launching in 2015 which had to be connected to a jacket before the first fully standalone vest, the Tech Air 5, arrived in 2020.

The development journey of the all new Tech Air Off-road mirrors this same development path from concept to market.

• Related: Alpinestars Tech-Air 3 Stella review

Having utilised the best riders MotoGP riders in the world to develop the race and road systems, Alpinestars have called on some of the best off-road riders in the world competing in Dakar to develop the Tech Air Off Road.

Is the Alpinestars Tech-Air Off-Road comfortable to wear?

Having been wearing an Alpinestars armoured jacket for the last 15 years, switching over to the new Tech Air jacket was a painless transition. The fit and sizing is the same, with the only major difference being that the back is bulkier due to that being where the ECU, Gyros and air cannisters are located.

The jacket weighs 3.13kg (medium size) which sounds a lot, but given that the weight is spread over the entire torso and arms it really isn’t an issue.

The structure of the jacket is made of a combination of breathable stretch mesh material, neoprene laminated collar and abrasion resistant elbows and shoulders. It has external seems meaning there are no rubbing or pressure points and can be worn over a base layer or directly on your skin.

Alpinestars have tried hard to make the jacket as vented as possible, including the honeycomb style chest plate, but ultimately ventilation is compromised by the air bags themselves, which are obviously impervious.

On the bike you quickly forget you are wearing it as it feels like a regular armoured jacket. Despite the bulky back there was no issues wearing my normal ruck sack when riding.

How practical is the Alpinestars Tech-Air Off-Road?

It’s easy to put on and comfortable enough to wear all day. The jacket is armed when magnets meet as the jacket is zipped up and will automatically turn itself off after ten minutes of stopping riding or you can do it yourself with the on/off button. Switching between the modes is done by holding the same button for two seconds. In addition to the lights on the control panel there is an internal vibration to confirm the changed status.

It’s a straight forward system but because of where the control panel is positioned, right hand side front by your bottom rib, it means that you need to undo your jacket to press the button to turn off or switch modes..

The system also deactivates within ten minutes of stopping riding and to reactivate you need to undo and redo the main zip which again means you need to undo your jacket which makes it a bit fidly.

Does the Alpinestars Tech-Air Off-Road look good?

Designed to be worn under a race jersey or jacket, it’s not designed to be seen. However I rode on the launch without a jacket so the photographer could see it in action. If you like hi-tec armoured jackets I guess it is cool, but in reality no one is going to see it, unless you deploy it in a crash when the amount it inflates is dramatic.

Is the Tech-Air Off-Road good quality?

Like most Alpinestars technical kit it has been developed with a top down approach meaning it’s been developed at the highest level by factory riders competing in Dakar. Not only that, since air bags became mandatory art Dakar in 2021 it has become the system of choice with 107 of the 142 riders competing in the 2024 event using it.

We’ve only used the system for two days, but it’s clearly a top end product that has been painstakingly developed in terms of materials, fit through to the advanced algorithms and technology of the air bag itself.

Does the Alpinestars Tech-Air Off-Road provide good protection?

The new Tech-Air Off-Road combines their know how for both on and off-road riding as it has three settings – Street, Enduro and Rally

The system works by utilising a series of tri-axial sensors including three accelerometers and three gyroscopes. These then talk to the system’s computer sending data inputs every millisecond, or a thousand times a second.

The system incorporates three different algorithms based on the demands of each discipline and has the intelligence to know how the demands of the different disciplines differ.

The Street setting is designed for everyday road riding and will deploy in the event of a slow speed crash or even when stationary to give protection in the event of being hit by another road user. Enduro setting is designed for enduro and dual sport riding where off-road speeds are traditionally low but movements are more extreme. The algorithms mean that it won’t deploy in a light or slow speed crash, instead saving the activation for when it is really needed. The Rally setting is designed for fast off-road or racing where you are travelling in excess of 50mph.

The airbags cover shoulders, chest, back and neck and prevent hyper extension, negating the need to wear a cumbersome neck brace.

With or without the airbag capability the Tech-Air Off-Road is a highly effective armoured jacket. With level one, back, elbow and shoulder armour along with level two chest protection.

The system takes between 40 and 60 milliseconds to deploy depending on the actual size being worn. A smaller jacket with less airbag volume will fill faster than an XXL jacket with bigger airbags. The average capacity of the airbag is 10 litres. Each jacket can deploy twice and air cartridges can be replaced by the user.

Is the Tech-Air Off-Road good value for money?

It’s hard to put a price on a safety device that you never want to use. There is no question that £949.99 is a lot of money, but having seen the system deploy not only in videos but several times on the launch itself the level of protection is both comprehensive and significant. It could mean you simply pick yourself up and continue riding or at the other end of the scale it could help prevent a broken collarbone, shoulder, neck or internal injuries.

HRC Dakar rider Skyler Howes, who rode with us on the launch, showed us footage of a nasty crash he sustained on a recent rally where he ended up planting himself head first into the ground. Slow motion footage showed the moment the system deployed where it clearly gave huge protection to his neck and shoulder. In what was a big crash he limped away with a cracked bone below the knee, but no damage to his neck, shoulders or torso.

So what’s the overall verdict?

Bringing this level of technology and protection to everyday street, enduro and rally riders has to be a good thing. Nobody likes to get injured and if it can save a broken rib, collarbone or worse then it has to be worth it.

The jacket without the air bag capability offers top end protection and the air bag takes it to the next level.

I plan to use this jacket whenever I ride off-road and most probably on the road in Street setting meaning it’ll become part of my everyday riding kit.

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